The course is concerned with theories and case studies of processes of transition, consolidation and de-consolidation of democracy. The first weeks address conceptual questions such as: What is democracy? How do countries become democratic? What is a consolidated democracy? What are hybrid regimes? Is democracy in crisis and, if so, why? The case studies use the conceptual tools to focus on democratic transformations in historical context in different parts of the world, including Southern and Eastern Europe, Turkey, Sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia, the Middle East and North Africa and Latin America.

Image: Voters queued outside a polling station in downtown Yangon, Myanmar as the country emerged from military rule and held its first national election in decades in 2015. Photo: Rune Larsen.